Carrier for braiding machines



Nam 24, 1925- A. c. HOPKINS CARRIER FOR BRAIDING MACHINES Filed April 18,

A. C. HOPKINS CARRIER FOR BRAIDING MACHINES Nov. 24, 1925.

Filed April 18, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

UNITED STTES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR G. HOPKINS, OF NILES, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T NATIONAL STANDARD COMPANY, 3F MILES, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

CARRIER FOR BRAIIDING MACHINES.

Application filed April 18, 1924. Serial No. 707,395.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR G. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niles, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Carriers for Braiding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carriers for braiding machines and the like and is fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carrier embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same; and

Fig. 3 is a partial horizontal section on the line 3 of Fig. 2.

The embodiment illustrated comprises a carrier for braiding machines of a well known type, said carrier having a base from which rises standards 11 and 12. A brake drum 13 has-a circular hub 14 which is journalled in the standard 11.

A squared central opening 15 is provided in the brake drum 13 which is adapted to receive the square pin 16, the rounded opposite end 17 of which is journalled in the standard 12. This pin is adapted to carry a spool 18 which has a square central opening therein so that when assembled as shown in Fig. 3, the drum 1.3 and spool 18 are locked together.

Wire 19 to be fed by the carrier is wound upon spools 18 and one of these inserted in the carrier. This wire passes up over the sheave 20 under the sheave 21 over the sheave 22 and out through the eyelet 23 to the braiding machine or to the other device to which the wire is to be fed.

The sheaves 20 and 22 are journalled on pins 24: and 25 which are carried by the standards, while the sheave 21 is journalled on the outer end of a lever arm 26 which is pivotally mounted at 27 and is normally pressed outwardly toward the dotted line position of Fig. 1, by means of a compression spring 28 acting upon the opposite end 26 of the lever arm 26 as shown in Fig. 2.

This end 26*, when the lever arm is drawn inwardly to the full line position shown in Fig. 1, is adapted to engage the outer end of the lever 29 which is fulcrumed at 30 and carries a pin 31 on which is pivotally mounted a brake shoe 320i hard fibre or the like which is adapted to bear upon the groove 13 of the brake drum 13.

The operation of this braiding carrier. is as follows: During the braiding operation, the braiding carrier moves toward and from the braiding machine with an oscillatory motion which necessitates that some means be provided for taking up the slack in the wire 19 as the carrier moves toward the braiding machine and for paying out the wire as it moves from the machine. This is accomplishedin this device by means of the spring pressed lever 26 which moves back and forth as shown in Fig. 1, to maintain a substantially constant tension on the wire 19. Whenever its inward movement brings the lever end 26 into contact with the lever 29, the latter is depressed against the action of the spring 29 thereby slightly releasing the brake shoe 32 from the brake drum 13, when the tension of the wire 19 will cause the spool 18 to feed out wire until the lever arm 26 moves outwardly sufficiently to release the lever 29 and again permit the spring 29 to set the brake shoe 32 on the brake drum 13.

Thus as the lever arm 26 moves back and forth, no wire will be fed over the spool 18 until the lever arm 26 is drawn down so as to engage the lever arm 29 and then only sufiicient to permit the arm 26 to move back to a point where the lever 29 is no longer depressed when the spool is. again held sta tionary by means of the brake.

A trip 33 is hingedly mounted at 3 1 and has a finger 35 which is adapted to engage the end of the lever 26 when the latter swings out too far as when the wire 19 breaks. Then this happens, the trip 33 is raised, stopping the braiding machine in a well known manner.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modithereon, a brake drum operably connected to the spool, two spaced members over which the wire from the spool passes, a lever arm pivotally mounted below the level. of the center of sa-idspool, a sheave carried there by and movable toward and from said members, the loop 01 wire between said mem bers passing over said sheave, a spring urging said sheave away from said members, and means operable by said lever arm as it approaches said members for releasing said brake.

2. In a braider, a carrier comprising a base, means for rotatably supporting a spool thereon, a brake drum operably connected to the spool, two spaced members over which the wire from the spool passes, a lever arm, a sheave carried thereby and movable toward and from said members, the loop of wire between said members passing over said sheave, a spring urging said sheave away from said members, said spring being applied on said lever at a point near its fulcrum, and means operable by said lever arm as it approaches said members for releasing said brake.

3. In a braider, a carrier comprising a base, means for rotatably upporting a spool thereon, a brake drum operably connected to the spool, two spaced members over which the wire from the spool passes, a lever arm, a sheave carried thereby and movable toward and from said members, the loop of wire between said members passing over said sheave, a spring urging said sheave away from said members, said spring being applied on said lever at a point near its fulcrum, means operable by said lever arm as itapproaches said members for releasing said brake, and a trip means operable by said lever arm when it reaches a predetermined point in its outer swing.

4-. In a braider, a carrier comprising a base, means forrotatably supporting a spool thereon, a brake drum operably connected to the spool, two spaced members over which the wire from the spool passes, a lever arm, a sheave carried thereby and movable toward and from said members, the loop of wire between said members passing over said sheave, a spring urging said sheave away from said members, and means operable by an end integral with the lever for releasing the brake, as said lever approaches said members.

ARTHUR C. HOPKINS. 

